Specialist channels may go subscription-based

According to The Financial Times, the site — which has more than one billion monthly users — will start requiring payments for some of its specialized video channels.

As many as 50 channels may require payment as early as this week. While it is unclear which channels will fall under the new business model, sources say that each channel will cost $1.99 per month.

In response to questions about the proposal YouTube said that it had nothing to announce. However, it did say that it was “looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy and provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer.”

The new model would generate a second revenue stream for the website. While YouTube does generate advertising revenue — and that revenue is growing — it remains only 2.4% of the total amount of money spent on advertising.